Tips on settling your new puppy in to their new home

Bringing your puppy home is a really exciting time for you and all the family, but it’s easy to forget that for your puppy, their whole world is changing.

While you can’t wait for your new arrival to finally be home, it’s important to remember that your new puppy is just a baby, leaving their mum, their littermates and the only life they have ever known, to come to a strange place with strange people. It’s up to you to make their homecoming positive, help them feel safe and give them the very best chance to settle and bond to their new family.

Get everything ready before your puppy comes home

Make sure everything is prepared in advance and set up ready for your puppy coming home – this includes the crate/s or puppy pen if you are using one, beds, water bowls, baby gates if needed – and everything you could possibly need for the first few days. Have a good supply of the food they have been fed up till now so that you can prevent any stomach upsets that comes from a change of diet, and also find out from the breeder what treats they are used to and enjoy, as you are going to need lots of these! There’s plenty of time to discover new favourites as you get to know each other.

This all means that from the moment your puppy arrives, they can start to get used to their new routine and begin to discover where everything is immediately. In turn, you can be calm and relaxed knowing that everything is in order and to hand. The first day is very important and you need to start well and calmly – good preparation is the key to that.

And don't forget puppy insurance for your new pup so you can rest assured that vet fees for any potential illness or issue your puppy develops can be covered.

Where will your pup go to the toilet?

One of the most important parts to this early planning is having decided where your puppy’s toilet area is going to be. This will be the very first place they should visit on their arrival, as they will no doubt need to go to the toilet following their journey. You may however have to be patient and wait a while for them to check out this strange new place before they get down to business. This gives you a chance to kick start their toilet training by having an early success that you can immediately reward with a delicious treat.

At this stage it is important to use a treat as a reward rather than praising them with your voice or hands. Remember that to them you are a stranger, they don’t know you, and haven't learnt to trust you yet, so its very unlikely indeed they will think of your touch or voice as a reward – whereas yummy treats are always good and will immediately give your relationship a positive vibe!

Give your puppy time and space

Now they can start to get to know their new home. While everyone will be excited to finally have the new puppy at home, don’t overwhelm them or expect them to be instantly lively or playful. They may well be but far more likely they will need time to get used to their new life gradually and settling in can take a few weeks.

This means making sure everyone handles them gently, and that all games and interactions are positive. Children especially need to be taught that the puppy isn’t a toy and that they are a thinking, feeling, sentient animal who should be treated with love and respect. Children and dogs can make very strong bonds and enhance each other’s lives but this needs to start off on the right foot while the puppy is learning all about their new home.

In these first few weeks, they need to learn to trust their new family, and this can only happen if they aren’t frightened or worried by rough play, uncomfortable handling, or just too much overwhelming enthusiasm. Puppies can easily learn to become afraid of people’s hands in the early weeks – even if they don’t obviously show it – and this can lead to an adult dog who grows up to mistrust people or not enjoy being handled.

Make sure your puppy gets lots of rest

In these early weeks, a puppy is still growing quickly – and growing takes energy. This means that just like human babies, puppies need to sleep a lot so make sure they get time to rest. Often in their excitement, new owners want to do things with their puppy all the time and forget that they need sleep!

Give them a comfortable place to sleep in every room they will be in – and let them rest whenever they need it. If they are a real livewire, you may need to schedule in these nap times yourself!

Puppies who don’t get enough sleep will become over-tired – which affects development, learning, and leads to a fractious, often grabby, pup.

Make a daily routine

Try to keep to a similar daily routine the puppy has been used to. While everything is new and different, it can be helpful for them to be able to predict what will happen next. There is plenty of time to change things round in the future but for now, familiarity can give a puppy a sense of security. None of us feel relaxed and secure when we feel out of control of our environment.

Raising a well-behaved, happy family dog

The most important thing is to allow your puppy to settle in their own time. While you will be teaching them the rules of the house, you need to make all interactions and experiences positive. Puppies have no idea as to what you want them to do, what is right and wrong, or how to succeed and make you happy. These are all things we have to teach them.

While having a puppy can be hard work and sometimes frustrating, never think that your puppy is being bad or naughty… they are just behaving like a puppy and as yet, you’ve not taught them any different. This takes time and patience.

Guide them as to the ways you want them to behave, encourage them to make the right choices, and always reward them when they do. Things that are rewarded, will be repeated – that is how training works. Anything they do that you would rather that they didn’t are not their fault, they don’t know what you want. Instead of telling them off, tell yourself off for not setting them up to succeed, and try to show them how you want them to behave – then reward them when they do. It should be simple and fun for you both.

The skill of raising a well behaved, happy family dog is to spend time together, learn to trust each other – and watch for the good behaviour and always reward it.

About the Author

Carolyn is an accredited behaviourist and trainer with over 20 years experience working with dogs and other companion animals. She has written books, over 800 published articles and trains owners and professionals alike, both nationally and internationally. She is currently the Chair of the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter. Carolyn is also an experienced broadcaster and presenter, has appeared in five TV series’ and countless radio shows. Her passion is for helping owners build a strong and positive relationship with the companion animals who share their lives, and fully develop the potential of the bond between them.